Second Chances
by smiley83
Summary: Because everybody deserves a second chance...
1. Chapter 1

**Season 3 of Dance Academy left a lot of questions unanswered, it seemed to me that the story was rushed. The ending left me with no closure. This is my attempt to peek at the lives of these characters (mainly Tara and** **Christian) during the eight months between their graduation and reunion. This is only my second attempt at writing fanfiction, so any and all input from readers are welcome! Please review!**

It had been a week since her fall on stage and the surgery. Tara lay on the hospital bed staring outside her window. It was a bright day with clear blue skies as far as the eye could see. She would have spent the whole day outside had she been able to walk, she thought to herself, and tears started welling in her eyes. She had pursued perfection relentlessly these past three years, and just when it was within her grasp, it had slipped right through her fingers. Why wasn't the universe done punishing her? She thought she had successfully re-balanced her karma this year, donating blood, helping old ladies cross the street… She had been the eternal dreamer, and all her dreams were shattering around her. She couldn't even get up to pick up those pieces and put them together again! Sobs racked her body, she felt drained, there was no more fight left in her.

"What's wrong T?" asked a concerned Kat. Tara hadn't heard her best friend come in. Kat rushed to her side and hugged her. "Why did this have to happen to me? What did I do to deserve this? What if I am never able to dance again, let alone walk?" Tara cried. Kat just held her friend till Tara stopped crying.

Kat had visited her every day this past week, trying to fill Tara with her optimism. She believed Tara would not just walk, but dance again for sure. Her best friend had been the one constant that had kept Tara sane, and her comforting presence calmed her down. Not that her other friends hadn't showed. She had steadfastly refused to see anyone or take their calls. She hadn't asked Kat if any of them had made it to the company. She didn't think she would be able to handle that on top of everything else.

"Sorry Kat, just got carried away with self-pity there a bit," Tara said, attempting a smile.

"You are allowed to, you know. I am here whenever you want to talk about it."

"Or not talk about it," she said after a long pause.

"Whether you want to or not T, I am going to talk about this. We have put it off long enough. I am sorry but I can't see you giving up on everything you have dreamed of. You are a fighter, always were and always will be. I am not gonna let you abandon hope, ok? Are you gonna just stop dreaming then? It breaks my heart to see you like this." Kat stopped when she saw Tara's eyes were filling with tears again. "Do you remember there was a complication during your surgery T? I was almost sure that I had lost yet another friend, but then you came back to us. Why don't you use this chance life has given you to start another dream?"

Tara looked out the window once more. She could see a bird land on the windowsill. The bird suddenly looked through the glass straight at Tara and chirped. To her, it was a sound filled with promise, as if the bird was saying, "Come fly with me." Life had tested her before and she hadn't given up. Perfection was out of reach, probably forever, but happiness seemed within reach. She decided Kat was right. She would not quit. As her dad had once said, having a healthy back was something that affected the rest of her life. Whether she became a professional dancer or not, she had to motivate herself to go through rehab and strengthen her back. She turned around to Kat and said, "Sorry Kat, pity party is over. I promise you that I won't talk of giving up again." Kat smiled back at her. "And thank you. For being my rock. I am truly lucky to have a friend like you."

Kat reached out and hugged her again.


	2. Chapter 2

**I have written a few more chapters, but am not sure if they are good enough. Please review and let me know if I should post more!?**

_"Lost and lonely_

_Cos you're the only_

_One that knows me _

_And I can't live without you"_

_-VD_

"Hey Cecil! Do you remember me?" Christian turned around to look at the girl questioning him. He was taking his scheduled break from his lifeguard duty when he was stopped by her. He remembered the time when Tara and he had gone to a beach where they had given each other silly names and played a game of cricket with some kids. He gathered she was one of them. It was surprising how the girl had recognized him after two years. He wasn't interested in having a conversation with her. He nodded and started to walk away. "How come you never called me back?" she interrupted again. He turned around.

"Sorry, but I was caught up with some stuff," he answered. "I need to be heading back to my shift. See you later."

"How's your friend? Tabitha, wasn't it?" the girl asked.

"You have a really good memory! Yes, and she's ok." He did not want to drag this on any longer.

"Who would ever forget you!" the girl sighed dreamily.

Christian gave her a weak smile and walked away. That conversation had dredged up memories he had buried deep inside. As he watched the swimmers in the pool, his mind began to wander to _that_ day. He and Tara had such an easy camaraderie that day. How happy they both were once they realized they truly liked each other! He missed being with her, talking to her…. but she didn't want to talk to him anymore. She hadn't answered any of his calls or texts since her surgery. She was in a place he had been in before. Christian knew he had hurt her last year when he had isolated himself from her and all his academy friends. But now that he was on the other side of the equation, he knew exactly, the extent of the pain he had caused.

As his shift ended and Christian walked to the bus-stop, he was still thinking about Tara. He wondered what she thought of his decision to not join the company, if she even knew about his decision. Did she not even want to be his friend anymore? They had opted to stay friends so that they wouldn't hurt each other. But being apart, hurt more. Being cut-off from her life, not knowing how she was, if she would be alright however, was more painful than losing a limb. It would kill him, but he would not call her again. He would focus on today and now, take time to rediscover himself, and develop his career. If he wanted to have any kind of relationship with Tara someday, he decided, he had to become a better man.


	3. Chapter 3

"You can stop hovering Kat," Tara said with a smile. "I am not made of glass, you know."

"Is that my cue to leave?" Kat raised her eyebrows. Tara was trying to reach out for a magazine, when she had jumped up to grab it for her.

"Well, I have been meaning to talk to you about that," Tara said hesitantly. "You have been hanging around here a lot Kat. I don't want you to stop having a life looking after your crippled friend."

"I thought we were done with the self-pity part, T. And I am where I want to be. Nothing you say can push me away."

"I am not trying to. It's just that you have done everything you can. You have been the best friend anyone could have ever asked for. You have motivated me to work hard and get back on my own two feet. I am grateful, trust me. Now, the rest is up to me. And I can handle this on my own. But, we haven't talked about what's going on with you. You must have had some audition calls or something after the movie's success!"

"Are you telling me you don't need me anymore?" Kat sounded a little hurt.

"I am never gonna stop needing you Kat," her eyebrows pulled together in anxiety. "Just give me a chance to be a friend to you as you have been to me, please…"

Kat could see how nervous Tara was and she knew her friend was trying hard not to hurt her. "Actually, there is this audition Jamie wants me to go to…"

"That's so cool Kat. Why don't you call the studio and have it scheduled?"

"Ok, T. I will do it first thing tomorrow morning. Happy?"

"Thanks. Hey, have you heard from Grace?" Tara asked attempting to steer the conversation in a new direction. She had finally gathered the courage to ask Kat about what had become of the other dancers. She was shocked to learn that Grace hadn't received an offer from the Company, but Abigail and Ollie had. Kat had also told her that Christian was going to teach at Sammy's memorial studio and that he had turned down the company contract. She had taken the news stoically to her friend's surprise.

"I got a text from her today. She is in Phuket and going to Saigon this weekend."

"I still can't believe Grace would give up on ballet that easily. I can't imagine someone throwing away their God-given talent! Yet, I guess she's doing what makes her happy. All my life, I was so focused on dancing, that I never thought about anything else! Grace is brave in making this journey to discover her true self. I hope it helps her heal. I hope she comes back here someday and we can go back to being friends!"

She was lost in her thoughts for a while and then, she said, "Perhaps life without dancing isn't that bad after all! You have found something else to do that you love doing, Grace is following a different course and is happy. I bet Christian is glad that he's a teacher. We all knew how good he always was with kids. Maybe I have to find a new passion too…"

"Are you going all philosophical on me T?" asked Kat playfully, but she liked her friend looking at the positive side of things again.

Tara laughed, "Maybe!"


	4. Chapter 4

It had been two months since graduation. Christian was in the studio that was being put up in honor of his best friend Sammy. He was helping his former teacher and mentor Zach put the finishing touches to the place when he heard his phone ring. He let it go to voicemail, he never was good in answering calls anyway. Once he was finished, he started his teaching session. A few kids had showed up a week earlier and asked for him to train them. He hadn't had the heart to tell them to wait for another week till the center opened. So, he had started them off with hip hop lessons. Christian had finally found something he was good at and enjoyed doing.

When the session ended, he dismissed his students and prepared to leave. As he locked the place up, and stepped out Christian checked his phone to see who had called him. He had a missed call from his roommate Ollie. He wasn't sure why Ollie couldn't have waited till they met tonight. After all, they stayed in the same apartment. He couldn't call him as he knew Ollie would be busy with his Company performance at that time. He dialed his voicemail.

"Reedo; I, you and Abby are going out for dinner tonight with Wes at Encasa after the performance tonight. Meet us there by 8:30. And get ready to be stunned!" That sounded like Ollie alright, making plans and assuming that Christian would show up. Well, it was not like he had something else to do any anyway. So he decided he would go even though he wasn't too keen on the "surprise" part.

Sometimes, he surprised himself with how much he had changed. If he had been in a similar situation a couple of months ago, it would have irked him to no end at being told what to do and he would have definitely NOT gone. He had mellowed down…it seemed like there were no demons chasing him anymore. He didn't get mad at Raf anymore when he called him. He had even visited him for Christmas. He was finally able to let go of the resentment he had previously harbored towards Raf. He hadn't forgiven him completely for deserting his mother, but had understood why Raf had done what he had. Probably finding his place in the universe had something to do with it, but he wasn't really sure. He still wasn't deliriously happy, the way he was when he was with….he shook the thought off.

Christian arrived at the restaurant a few hours later to find Ollie, Abby and Wes already there and seated.

"You do like your tapas, don't you Wes?" Christian said mockingly.

"Why? Don't you?" Abby glared at him.

Before he could say anything, Ollie exclaimed, "Look who's here!" They all turned around to see Tara in a wheelchair with Kat and Jamie by her side. Christian felt the blood rush to his head. He had definitely not expected this! Why hadn't Ollie told him? Oh wait, this was _the_ surprise.

"Hi everyone!" Kat said before hugging each of them. "I have finally managed to lure our princess out of her castle," she said teasingly. But she exchanged a small smile with Tara.

Christian stood silently while everyone else exchanged pleasantries and got seated. All his friends kept the easy banter going through the dinner. He could feel Tara's eyes on him, questioning, but he refused to look at her. Whose idea was it to seat her right next to him! He had to admit he was mad at her, that she seemed to have been in touch with everyone else there except him. He wanted to shake her, ask her why, but he suppressed those thoughts and ate in silence. But, he had to admit she looked beautiful, even with those faint shadows under her eyes. And those shadows spoke of the pain and torment she had been through these past couple of months. Now that he had seen her, how long could he stay mad at her, he asked himself.

"Hi Christian," Tara said so softly that he almost did not hear her. He looked at her questioningly. "I know it's a little late, but I wanted to say sorry. For not replying your calls or texts, and for not letting you in to see me when you came to the hospital. All I can say in my defense is that I did not want you to see me like this, I did not want to see pity in your eyes."

How could he have ever been annoyed at her! She looked vulnerable, it was easy to understand why she had hidden from everyone.

"Apology accepted. By the way, I thought you were trying to extract your revenge," he teased her in an attempt to lighten the mood. "For not replying to your calls or texts last year," he said when she looked at him quizzically.

"Ha ha, why didn't I think of that!" she replied, laughing at his self-mockery. She had forgotten how easy it was to talk to him when they got along well.

"How is your back? Or is it something you don't want to talk about?" he still remembered how she had not wanted to talk to him about her broken knee two years ago.

"It's ok, Christian. I wouldn't have come here if I hadn't wanted to talk about it. I am not pushing my friends away anymore." Christian reached out and squeezed her hand. He held on and waited for her to continue. "I have been doing rehab for the past couple of weeks. It is painful, but I am making progress. The doctors tell me that I will be able to walk with crutches shortly."

He thought she was finding this difficult as she stared off into space for a second. "Do you remember how Ben once made fun of how I walk? This is a good chance for me to learn the right way, don't you think?" she laughed. He couldn't help but laugh with her. How unrestrained Ben had been! And she really was taking this easy, not stressing about talking to him as he originally thought.

She beamed at him, "It's been good seeing you Christian. Maybe we can do this again?"

Her smile stirred some strange yet familiar reactions within his stomach. "You won't be able to stop me if you try," he grinned back in reply.

"Are you done monopolizing her?" a curt voice asked. Abigail was looking at them with daggers in her eyes. He could almost hear her thoughts out loud, "Don't you dare hurt her again, Christian!"

"Sorry Abby, she's all yours!" exclaimed Christian. He had forgotten all about the people around him. One look at Tara's flushed face told him she had forgotten too. It also told him that there was still hope for the two of them, that perhaps all wasn't lost. Today was not the right time to get into this, but maybe some time in the future…


	5. Chapter 5

**I was really excited about this chapter; so excited that I forgot to proofread it the first time I posted it! I have hopefully fixed all the errors! Waiting for your reviews...**

Friday night was not the best night to be left alone, Tara thought. Especially, a cold and dreary Friday night. She had watched a couple of re-runs, tried reading a steamy romance, but nothing had managed to capture her attention for long. She had been very restless. She really missed having Kat around; especially now that they were roommates, she had gotten used to her presence. However, her best friend had landed a role in a movie this past month and had left for Melbourne just the week before. Abby had been coming over every evening, per Kat's request that Tara shouldn't be left alone. Tara had protested that she would be okay by herself, but had given in to her best friend's pleas. Kat had used the "for me" card and won. Tara thought it was funny that Kat wanted Abby to stay with her. She reminisced how they both had tried to torture Abigail in first year so that she would sign the room release form.

However, today would be her first time being all alone in the apartment that she and Kat had rented, and she wasn't looking forward to it. It was all her doing though, she thought, as she had insisted quite persistently that Abby not miss her date with Wes after her company performance that night. She had told Abby that being alone one day wasn't going to kill her. Boy, was she wrong! She thought she would most certainly die of sheer boredom. Unless…maybe she could call Christian over… She wasn't sure if he would be able to make it if she called him at the last minute. However, once the idea came to her head, she was hardly able to think of anything else.

She decided she was going to call him. What was the worst that could happen? He would say no, she told herself, or he would not pick up the phone which was more the norm with him than the exception. With her heart pounding in her chest, she made the call. She was disappointed when his voicemail chanted, "Voicemail costs money, so be interesting!" even though she was sort of expecting it. She cut the call then, not wanting to leave a voicemail. She looked at the texts Christian had sent her after their decision to remain friends last year. He had said that if things were to change between them someday, they should talk. Funnily, she had replied to him that they could talk only if he ever picked up his phone. Why did Christian own a phone if he never picked it up, she thought in annoyance as she put her phone down with a sigh.

Maybe, she decided, she would dress up for the heck of it! Perhaps the dress would change her mood! Just because she was alone, she decided, she didn't have to become morose. She was going to cook herself a nice dinner and maybe catch a movie on the TV. She shook off her glumness, headed to her closet and picked out her favorite dress. She took a long bath, lingering till the water started to turn cool. She put on some make-up and got dressed. She not only looked better, she decided, she felt better. Heading to the kitchen, she turned on her favorites' playlist on her music player at a low volume and started her dinner. She pulled up a recipe for Parmesan crusted chicken on her laptop and started the preparations when the doorbell rang. Tara wondered if Abby had decided to ignore her request and come back as she walked to the door.

"Surprise!" crooned Christian as Tara opened the door. She couldn't help but smile at him, despite being annoyed with him earlier. "Aren't you going to invite me in?" he asked her, smiling in return.

"Sorry, you did really surprise me," she gestured him to come in.

"Were you getting ready to go somewhere?" Christian asked her.

"Well, I had a date with…"

Christian sucked his breath in audibly.

"…myself, actually." It had pleased her to see Christian was still affected by her insinuation.

"Do you want me to leave?"

"No, please stay. In fact, I had called you earlier to see if you could come over tonight. But you didn't answer your phone…"

"I was already on my way here, Training Bra. That's the only reason I didn't answer the phone."

There was a moment's silence as Tara assimilated this information. Her heart was doing flip-flops now that she knew why Christian hadn't answered the phone.

"Why did you call me earlier? Is your back ok?" he asked her in concern.

"I am doing ok, Christian. My back twinges once in a while, but not so bad that I can't handle it. I just wanted to see if you wanted to have dinner with me and spend some time together."

"What? No planning ahead? What happened to the Tara that used to plan everyday of her life well in advance?" he mocked her.

She blanched at his sarcasm. "You are right, that's who I used to be. I am not that person anymore. People change Christian. My fall on-stage changed my perspective of life. I want to live my life one day at a time, and hope for the best."

Christian seemed lost in thought for a moment. "By the way, Abigail called me earlier and told me that you would be alone tonight. I think she wanted me to check up on you," he said. "I understand what you mean about people changing. Who would have ever thought that Abigail would have been concerned about your well-being?"

"I am really blessed that I have all my friends looking out for me. I doubt I would have been able to come this far, lift myself out of the huge hole I was in if not for my friends," Tara said emotionally.

"Hey, what are we having for dinner?" Christian asked in an effort to turn the conversation to a less sensitive topic. "Do you need help?"

"Do you even know how to cook?" Tara teased him.

Christian raised his eyebrows. "Is that a challenge?"

"Let's see if you can handle making pasta," she giggled.

"I will have you eat your words Training Bra," Christian said. "Pun intended, by the way."

They both laughed and made their way to the kitchen. Tara showed Christian where the ingredients he needed were and worked on finishing up with the chicken. She put it in the oven and noticed Christian rummaging through the fridge. He pulled out a couple of cans of soda. It was a good thing that Kat had thought of stocking the fridge before she left, Tara thought.

They both ate their dinner in the kitchen in companionable silence. "You know, the pasta isn't bad," Tara said.

"The chicken isn't too bad either," Christian agreed. They both smiled at each other.

When dinner was done, Tara started on the dishes. She scrubbed them, and Christian came over and started rinsing them.

All of a sudden, Christian started laughing.

"What's wrong?" Tara asked in alarm.

Instead of answering her, he just stepped closer. Looking into her eyes, he wiped the foam on her cheek. Tara sucked in a breath. He was too close for comfort. She noticed that he seemed to be having trouble breathing too. Did he want to kiss her as badly as she wanted to kiss him?

"Thanks," she said hoarsely before clearing her throat and looking away. She chided herself mentally for even entertaining such thoughts. They were only friends, and she didn't want to complicate things with him.

Having put the dishes away, the two of them moved to the living room and sat down on the couch. Tara sat as far away from Christian as the couch would allow her.

"So, what's next Tara?"

"We can see if there's a movie on the TV. Unless you want to do something else?"

"I have an idea!" he exclaimed. He went to the music player and turned up the volume. The song turned out to be "When I was your man" by Bruno Mars.

"May I?" he asked her, holding out his hand.

"But I have been off crutches only for a month Christian!" Tara exclaimed.

"We'll take it slow. We'll figure it out together," Christian said trying to instill confidence in her.

He had never dropped her in all their time together as paux de deux partners. She had faith in him, she told herself, as he pulled her to her feet and started a slow dance. He held her close, but not too close as if he was afraid of things getting out of control. They both didn't notice that the song had ended and another one was playing. After what seemed like hours, or maybe just minutes, she pulled back slowly and smiled at him. She was so happy this evening that she didn't want him to leave.

"I think that's enough dancing for one day," Christian said reluctantly. "We don't want to overdo it."

"You're right. Is it ok if I lay down on the bed for a bit? I will get changed in a jiffy."

She was true to her word, and was back in less than two minutes. "You can come and sit on the bed, Christian. I don't bite!" she said jokingly.

Christian sat beside her as she lay down. They talked long into the night; about some of his students, about Raf, about Ollie's quirks, and about Kat's movie career, . Tara had dozed off without realizing it. Christian just stared at her, trying to take his fill of the beautiful girl in front of him. She had looked breathtaking today. It had taken all his willpower to not take her in his arms and kiss her till they both forgot who they were. But, ultimately reason had triumphed over emotion. He slowly brushed the tendril of hair that had slid onto her face, leaned in and kissed her forehead gently. "Goodnight Tara," he whispered and went to sleep himself.


	6. Chapter 6

**Some of the dialogues come from the DA website. I never thought of Tara and Christian as Shrek and Fiona, lol!**

Tara woke up with a start. She looked around in a daze. She wasn't sure if yesterday night had actually happened. Had Christian really come? He wasn't on the bed next to her and it was awfully quiet in the apartment. Was it all a dream? She took a deep breath. She knew the truth in her heart, he had been here, they had shared a wonderful evening together… and then he had left, without a note, without a goodbye. It felt like déjà vu all over again. She recollected that last year when the third year students had gone on tour, Christian had come to her room in the night. They had spent the night talking, having fun, and she had convinced herself that he was still in love with her. But in the cold light of the morning, she had woken up to find him gone without a word. It had hurt her then, it hurt her now. She thought they were on better terms now, that they were friends. Friends didn't hurt each other, did they?

She dragged herself out of the bed, went to the bathroom and got cleaned up. She was in no mood for breakfast, but knew she had to eat in order to take her meds. She braced herself for another dull and boring day as she stepped into the living room.

"Morning Sleeping Beauty," Christian exclaimed as soon as he saw her.

Tara's eyebrows rose in surprise, so he had been here all along? Her heart filled with joy and she beamed at him, "Good morning!"

"If it's ok, I thought I would spend today with you."

"That's great Christian! I just have to call Abigail and let her know that she can extend her stay with Wes," Tara thought her friend would be happy to spend some more time with her boyfriend.

"You can do that later. How about we start the day with some breakfast? I'll cook."

That day couldn't have gone better, Tara thought as they headed back to her apartment late evening. They had watched a movie, taken a leisurely boat tour around the Sydney harbor and had ended their day with pizza for dinner. Christian had insisted on seeing her back safe despite her protests, so here he was, in the taxi with her. As she got down, so did Christian. He walked her to the door, Tara turned around and said, "Thanks for today Christian! I had a wonderful time."

"The pleasure was all mine, Training Bra," he smirked, giving her a hug. "Call me again soon, and I promise that I'll answer this time. Alright?"

"We'll see about that," Tara teased him in return. She stood at the door and waved to him till the taxi went out of sight.

With a sigh, she entered her apartment.

"There you are!" exclaimed Abigail. "And here I was thinking you'd be pining away in my absence!" she jeered.

"Sarcasm becomes you Abs," Tara replied in return. But the two girls were smiling. Tara hugged her friend, "So how was your date with Wes?"

"It was good. But I can bet it was nothing compared to yours with Christian," Abby teased her again.

"It wasn't a date!" Tara objected weakly, "We are just friends."

"So you keep telling yourself Tara. Deny it all you want, but you both belong together. I haven't seen you this happy in months. You are practically glowing!"

"Abigail! You know I don't want to complicate things with him. Every time we got together, we fought."

"Ok, people pay therapists hundreds of dollars to fix things. I will help you out for free," she laughed.

Tara looked at her friend with a frown. She really did not want to get into this. But she knew Abigail, she wasn't the kind that gave up easily.

"So, what did you guys fight about? Before?"

"Mostly about his career and my expectations. I tried fixing his relationship with his dad, I basically tried to change who he was," Tara answered quietly.

"Ok, let's talk about that. Christian already has a career now, as a teacher, and it seems like you have taken it pretty well. I haven't heard you complain about it…"

"But that's because I had seen him teach before and knew how the kids like him…"

"Exactly my point! And you know that he and Raf are ok now. Ollie told me that they talk to each other all the time. And about you wanting to change him?"

"What about it?"

"That was before, right? Do you want to change anything about him now?"

"Not much," Tara fell silent. She knew Abigail had it right, she was happy with the person Christian was now. However, she still didn't want to risk getting hurt. Every time she had broken up with Christian, her heart had felt like it had broken into a million pieces. It was still not fully healed. How else could she explain her breathlessness around him? Yes, she had spent a great couple of days with him. But they did that before too; till something came between the two of them, and they ended up fighting.

"I don't know why you both are fighting this Tara. You both are like Romeo and Juliet, like Shrek and Fiona! Don't you think you are overcomplicating things just a little? And I can tell you from experience that all relationships require compromise. You may not be willing to acknowledge this today, but I know you. Better than you know yourself. And I can bet that the two of you will get back together and this time you'll make it work."

Tara wished she had the confidence her friend had in her. It was still too much work, she decided. She would focus on fixing her back first. And then, who knew what the future held….


	7. Chapter 7

**For those of you that are disappointed that Tarastian hasn't happened yet: I am still trying to work my way to the final episode, trying to think of why the characters did the things they did on the show. I would have liked to bring Tara and Christian together before, but then they would have probably had them breaking up again because they are not together at the beginning of ep.13! ****And,** t**hank you for your reviews folks! You keep me inspired to continue and finish this story. Keep 'em coming...**

The audience was on its feet, giving a standing ovation to the graceful ballet dancer who had just finished his performance as Prince Phillip. The dancer bowed to them, a wide smile lighting up his face as the curtains came down. Benjamin Tickle was proud of his performance as the principal dancer in the rendering of "Sleeping Beauty" tonight. As he walked to the greenroom, Marcus was in his thoughts. He was thankful to his current mentor for believing in his talent and giving him this great prospect. It was like he had been given this second chance at ballet, and boy was he glad he had grabbed it. To think he hadn't even considered Austin Ballet in his list of top 5! What a missed opportunity that would have been!

The only downside to it all was his being away from family and friends. He missed his parents, his little brother, and all his academy friends. But most of all, he missed Grace. When Tara had broken his heart, Grace had been the one help him pick up the pieces. All his friends had warned him about being friends with her, but he had ignored them. With him, she was different. And he was different when he was around her too. He didn't have to watch what he said or did with her. She had adored his impulsiveness. And he had only realized too late how much he cared about her. He still felt bad about how he had treated her before. He had used her to get back at Tara and Christian, not once thinking how his actions had affected her. Of course, he had let bygones be bygones and forgiven both of them. It wasn't like him to foster any kind of resentment towards his friends.

Now, Grace was on a journey of rediscovery. He had been supportive and understanding, not pressuring her in any way. He had not given up hopes of getting back with her someday. She kept in touch with him, with her quirky texts and pic messages. As he sat in the green room taking off his costume, he got another text from her. He looked at the picture and couldn't help but smile.

As Ben saved Grace's picture onto his phone, he remembered that he had to call Christian. He had received an email from him about the opening ceremony of the Samuel Leiberman Memorial Center in just a few weeks. He wanted to confirm his living arrangements during his trip down under and finalize his travel plans. He called the Center's phone, and it was no surprise that Zach picked up. Maybe Christian was just allergic to phones, Ben thought.

"So Ben, how's life in the spotlight treating you?"

"It's been crazy Zach. I really hadn't expected to be bumped up to a soloist so soon! But I am loving every minute of it."

"Good for you mate. So, are you planning on coming down for the opening ceremony?"

"That's the reason I called. I wanted to talk to Christian about it."

"Hang on, let me get him for you. He's in the middle of a class."

Ben could hear Zach chuckle about something before he called out for Christian.

"Hello Big Ben!" Christian said with a huge smirk on his face. He had not heard from Ben in a while and it felt great to hear his voice. "What's up?"

"Skinny Reed, I just wanted to iron out some details of my travel plans for next month. I know we texted back and forth earlier about this, but are you still ok about me bunking in with you and Ollie? I really wouldn't want to be in your way," Ben teased his friend back, but he also truly didn't want to inconvenience him. He didn't care too much about Ollie anyway, that guy was way too bossy for his own good!

"You wouldn't be. Ollie has found some company friends that he can stay with during that week, so it's all been taken care of," Christian didn't want to tell Ben that it had taken some convincing from him.

"Have you heard from any of our other friends yet? Anyone confirm their plans with you?"

"They are all going to be here Ben. I don't think anyone wants to miss this!"

"How about Tara? Is her back up to it?" He was anxious to hear if she was ok and maybe meet her again. He truly hoped that she had healed well and gone back to being her old self. The last time he had seen her when they had wheeled her into surgery. He had tried visiting her at the hospital after, to say goodbye, but she had closed herself off from the rest of the world.

"She's doing well, all things considered. I am actually meeting up with her this weekend."

"So are you two together now?" Ben was, of course, never known for his tact.

"Not really Ben. We're just good friends is all," Christian was getting annoyed that all his friends seemed to want to know the same thing. Why couldn't they let things be? Tara and he had it going good as friends. He didn't even remember the last time they had fought and he liked not fighting with her.

"Why aren't you together? It's like, Tara broke up with me for nothing then?" Ben was getting irritated at the two of them. Why did they refuse so see what was so obvious to the others? And he knew how much Tara loved Christian.

"Ben!" Christian was embarrassed, he usually didn't talk about his feelings with his friends. "I am not sure that you want to waste an international call talking about my non-existent love life."

"Look Reedo, I probably shouldn't say it but I know how much Tara loves you. You don't know this, but she thinks of you as the permanent texta of her life, something she couldn't erase even if she tried to!"

"And how would you know that?"

"I am really ashamed to admit this, but I read her journal once. I found pages and pages about you and her. I think all she ever wanted was for things to work out between the two of you."

"No you didn't!" He was shocked that Ben would do such a thing. And Tara had never told him anything about that either, now he probably knew why though. He had to come clean though. "I love her too Ben. I don't think I can ever love anyone the way I love her. But I hurt her too many times before and…."

"You don't want to hurt her again. I get it. I did the same thing with Grace, but if I was given another chance to be with her, I'd grab it with all I've got. Correct me if I am wrong, but you don't sound like the "rebel without a cause" type anymore. And I bet you will do your best not to hurt her again."

There was a long pause before Christian answered, "You are right, Ben. But I don't know how to ask her for that second chance. I may have blown it this time mate."

"The Benster is always right Reedo! Do you remember that you once told me that Tara was special? And if you want to be back with her, you've got to do something special for her."

Christian thought about that for a moment. He had said that when Ben had asked for his advice about how he could win Tara over. And he knew what he wanted to do. Once he did, it was hard to keep the excitement out of his voice, "I know exactly what to do. And, thanks Ben."

"Hey, what are friends for!"

"Bye mate. Send me an email with your flight time and I'll come to the airport and pick you up, alright? And be the on the lookout for my email, alright?"

Ben couldn't stop grinning as he put his phone down. Who could have ever thought that he would get through to Christian, of all people? He felt a huge sense of accomplishment. He couldn't wait till he went back home!


	8. Chapter 8

**Thanks for your reviews folks, you have no idea how much it means to me! To have your story read and for people to like it, WOW!**

When Ms. Raine had sent an email out to all of Sammy's friends asking if any of them would like to speak in his honor at the inaugural ceremony of the Center, Tara had volunteered. She had thought, what better way to fill her long days than by writing about her best friend! What a prodigious opportunity to let the world know what a great person he was, she had thought to herself. She had written down her thoughts, proof-read and made her edits as best as she could. And now, the moment was nearing and her nerves were shot! Who was she kidding? Could she really sum the life of Sammy up in a few words? Could she do justice to the greatest person she had ever known? The doubts just wouldn't stop gnawing her all week long.

Friday rolled along and she was still not sure what she should do with her speech. Was it too late to tell Ms. Raine that she had to find someone else, she thought to herself. She forced herself to smile and talk to her friends that night during dinner. All around her, there was pleasant chatter and laughter. The small group of friends was celebrating Kat's birthday that night. She owed it to her best friend to not have a long face at her party.

She and Abigail had planned a surprise for Kat. Abigail had taken the day off from the Company so that she could come in early and help set the place up. She had not let Tara do much and Tara knew better than to start an argument with her. Sometimes she hated how her back brace limited what she could do. And that day was just one of those days, where she wanted to do more but couldn't.

Jamie had showed up first that evening, followed soon after by Christian. When Kat walked in to the apartment later, the four of them jumped up from behind the couch and yelled, "Surprise!" Kat's eyes grew wide with wonder and she ran forward to hug them. "Aw…so nice of your guys to remember my birthday! You didn't have go to all this trouble," she protested as she looked around the room and took in the streamers and balloons decorating the place. But Tara could tell from her smile that she liked it.

"Take a few minutes to freshen up Kat. We know you've had a long day at the studio," Tara said. "Ollie and Wes aren't here yet. We have to wait up for them anyway."

Kat was happy to oblige. She felt grimy with all that makeup on her face anyway. By the time she got cleaned up and came back, her boyfriend had asked Tara twice to check on her to see why she was taking so long. It amused Tara to no end that he was so restless. "A lady needs her space and time Jamie!" she laughed. Before Jamie could come up with a clever retort, Kat had come out of the room looking beautiful as ever. He stared dumbfounded at her, as if he was seeing her for the first time ever. Tara teased him, "Hey Jamie, Cat got your tongue?" And everyone around her burst into laughter. Jamie didn't seem to mind it in the least. He just walked up to his girlfriend, pulled her into a hug and kissed her. When they pulled apart, Kat was blushing.

Soon after, Wes and Ollie joined the group. They all sat around the makeshift table and had their dinner. They had ordered Kat's favorite – Thai cuisine from down the street. And then it was time for presents and games. They were in the middle of a game of "Who am I?" when Tara excused herself to go to the kitchen.

"Come on, out with it." Tara hadn't noticed that Abigail had followed her.

Tara looked at her with a blank expression.

"You may have fooled everyone back there, but I know something's been bugging you all evening."

Tara looked at her with incredulity, "How did you know?"

"Tara, I've known you for three long years. I have always tried to decipher your emotional code for my own personal reasons." She shrugged her shoulders. "So, are you gonna tell me what's bugging you?"

She sighed in defeat and said, "Well, you know about this speaking thing I agreed to at the opening ceremony…. I am not really sure anymore that I should do it. When I read what I've written, it just seems like words. They don't seem to convey how important Sammy was to all of us."

"That's an easy one to solve. You say you have it all written down. So go get it; I'll read it and tell you what I think. And you can count on me to be brutally honest."

Tara managed to inconspicuously grab her folder from the living room and head back to the kitchen. As she handed it to Abigail, her hands shook with apprehension.

"This is actually good!" Abigail had tears in her eyes by the time she got done. "This is perfect!"

Tara didn't know what to say. She was moved beyond words that Abigail had actually liked what she had written. She just silently hugged her friend, hoping to convey her gratitude for putting her at ease.

After a few moments Abigail said, "I didn't know you could articulate this well Tara. What other hidden talents have you been keeping from us?"

"Thanks for the compliment Abigail, it means a lot coming from you. Since you ask, I have been writing this novel sort of thing. It's about us…at the academy. Do you mind?"

"Fine, I'll critique it for you. Just don't tell anybody that I did. I have a reputation to protect."

"Oh Abby! You're the best!" Tara hugged her again.

"Ew…that's too much hugging for one day. Let's go before they send a search party for us," Abigail grumbled, but there was a smile on her face.

Two hours later, Abigail left with Wes and Ollie. "E-mail me your book," she had whispered to Tara as she had left.

"Is it ok if I borrow my girlfriend for a few more minutes?" Jamie asked them. "I just want to treat her to some dessert."

"But we just ate!" Kat exclaimed. "And I have to help Tara clean up!"

But Tara guessed he just wanted some alone time with her. "Go!" she said and pushed her friend out the door. "Christian will help me. And anway, the birthday girl should not be cleaning up!"

"I hope it's ok that I said you'd help," Tara told Christian. "I'm sorry I didn't ask you first."

"Are you kidding me? I've always wanted to be a dish pig!" Christian smirked.

They cleaned up in silence. It didn't take too long and then they sat down on the couch.

"So are you all set to speak at the inaugural ceremony?" Christian asked Tara.

"Well, I have it prepared if that's what you mean." Now that Abigail had put her stamp of approval, she wasn't nervous about the words anymore. But Christian's question brought to her mind another problem, a problem she hadn't considered till then at all. The gravity of the situation hit her in her solar plexus.

"Oh my God! I had forgotten that I actually have to read that whole thing! And there will be all these people there. I think I will just send an email to Ms. Raine and have someone else read it."

"They say practice makes perfect. No time like the present," Christian said. "I will be your audience. Go ahead Training Bra. Do your worst."

"This is nerve-wracking! I don't think I can do this Christian! And if I can't speak in front of one person, I don't know if I'll be able to do it in front of a huge crowd!"

"Come on Tara, you've danced in front of people before. This is no different," Christian tried to impart some confidence in her. She still looked dazed. "You know what they say about fear of public speaking – just imagine all those people naked. That will do the trick," he grinned.

Tara shook her head. She wasn't really sure she wanted to think about that image just yet.

"Ok, then. I will turn around, so you can just pretend that I am not here, and do your speech thing. How about that?"

She took a deep breath and said, "Alright, I'll try."

Christian turned around and waited for her to start. But, when he didn't hear her for a while, he turned around. He was shocked to see her eyes filling with tears. He rushed to her side, "What's wrong Tara?"

"I'm sorry Christian. Just the thought of facing all those people! The last time I was in front of a crowd…"

"Hey, come here," he pulled her into a hug. He remembered that she had broken her back then, the last time she had faced a crowd. He understood her fear, the fear of seeing pity in those eyes that she would face. He just had to convince her that all she would see in their eyes was admiration for her resiliency. He waited till her breathing became normal and pulled her gently. He cupped her cheeks and wiped away her tears with his thumbs. Looking deep into her eyes, he willed her to understand, "The Tara I knew never backed down from a challenge. I know you can do this, you just got to believe it too."

Tara smiled through her tears, "Thank you…."

And then she looked into his eyes and her heart almost leapt out of her chest. She hadn't realized how close she was standing to him. A million emotions crossed his face that instant. She recognized one that she was sure to be reflected on hers as well, of yearning. She suddenly couldn't breathe. She sensed he was fighting a battle within himself. Then he sighed, and laid his forehead on hers. "It's been a long day Tara. Why don't you go to bed? I will wait up for Kat and Jamie before I head home."

Tara wanted to protest, wanted to pull him back in her arms and hold him there. But he was right. If she didn't go to bed and rest now, she'd regret it in the morning. So she whispered, "Good night Christian."

"Good night Tara."


	9. Chapter 9

**One of the guests wanted to know if Tara and Christian are going to kiss in this chapter. There's nothing more I want, too! However, my story is only aimed at figuring out what went on during the eight months between graduation and the Center's opening ceremony. I had the story all mapped out and did not want to veer from it. I will write an epilogue though (and that'll be my final chapter)and there definitely will be kissing in there! Please review!**

Tara was getting ready to leave for her dance lesson when her phone beeped. She had received a text message from Kat.

"Hey T, guess who's back in town?"

"You know I stink at these guess who games. Just tell me Kat, please." Tara texted her back.

"You're no fun! Grace called me today and told me she's here for the inaugural ceremony! And she wanted to know if she could drop by for a few minutes this evening. I told her I would check with you first."

"I'd love to see her!"

Soon, she was on the bus and her thoughts strayed to her dance class. A few months ago, she would not have been excited to perform barre exercises. She had always thought of them as too prosaic. She still remembered how upset she had been with Ms. Raine during first year for relegating her to the barre. But here she was, looking forward to doing a simple plié or an élevé.

She had been tempted to ask Christian if she could practice at the new Center, but had not been able to gather up her nerves for the task. She had also been pretty sure that it would have been torturous to be near him every day and yet stay afar. So instead, she had pleaded with Zach and managed to get some practice time at the Academy. Now that she was finally dancing, she was just one happy camper she had told herself.

The day passed without much incident. Once Tara was back in her apartment, she fixed a light dinner for Kat and herself. Kat working in the movies meant she kept an unpredictable schedule. So it didn't surprise Tara when Kat walked in soon after. She waited for her friend to wash up and join her. The two friends ate their dinner in companionable silence.

Grace arrived a little later with Ben by her side. Kat seemed just as surprised as Tara to see the two of them together.

"Hi Tara," Grace said shyly.

Tara stepped forward and embraced her. "Hi Grace, I've missed you so much!"

"Not as much as I missed you T," Grace said ruefully. She seemed overwhelmed by Tara's welcome. "I don't need to ask if we are still friends, do I?"

"Does the Benster get a hug as well?" Ben smiled at the three tearful friends.

"You can't talk of yourself in the third person, Ben," Kat elbowed him playfully before giving him a hug.

"Tara?"

Tara shook her head, then smiled and gave him a hug as well. She had forgotten how easy going Ben was.

"Hope you guys don't mind me crashing your girl party!" Ben exclaimed.

"We'll just think of you as one of us then," Tara teased him. "After all you can do drag!"

They all laughed at that. Soon after, the four friends were entertaining each other with things that had happened in the last few months. Tara was amazed at all the things Grace had done in Thailand. And Ben, a leading man already! She noticed that the two sat close to each other and held hands the entire time. Apparently, those two had resolved any issues they had. Anyone could tell that they were in love and they seemed really happy together. She was really glad that Ben had found love again and there was no awkwardness between herself and him. It felt good to be able to talk to him guilt free.

"There's one thing I need to ask the two of you," Ben said. "What happened to Christian?"

"What do you mean?" Tara asked confusedly. She hadn't talked to Christian for a few days since he was busy with the arrangements for the Center's opening ceremony.

"I haven't seen the guy scowl or brood even once since I've been here! Well, maybe once… But, I don't think I have ever seen him smile that much…"

"Look what time it is! We've got to get going," Grace nudged Ben not too subtly. "Lucy will be worried if I am too late. Besides, we'll see you two at the Center tomorrow evening."

The friends hugged each other again and bid goodbye after promising to keep in touch.

Later that night, when Tara lay in bed, her phone vibrated indicating a text message. It was Abigail.

"Great news Tara! Get ready to thank me."

How likely of Abby to be cryptic, she thought as she texted her friend back, "Come on Abs, I don't deal well with suspense. What's the news?"

"I sent your story onto my dad. He loved it. He said he'll talk to some people at his publication house and see if they can get your book published!" Abigail texted back.

"You did not!" Tara was shocked. She couldn't believe that Abby had let someone else read her story, let alone that they liked it and may even look into publishing it!

"I did. Get over it already. And I am still waiting…"

"Thanks Abigail. I truly appreciate it." It had been a day full of surprises. She wondered what tomorrow held in store for her. As usual, her thoughts drifted to Christian. She was looking forward to seeing him tomorrow. She had so many things to share with him. She smiled thinking of how she would surprise him before sleep overcame her.


	10. Chapter 10

**There are some slight changes in this chapter compared to episode 13. I thought it odd that Sammy's family was not at the inaugural ceremony for his memorial on the show, so I have them listed as guests here. Patrick's character also shows up. He taught Sammy too and it made sense for him to be there. I toyed with the idea of bringing in Ethan as well, but thought it would create clutter. **

**Also, I would like to thank all of you who have taken the time to read this story and leave reviews. A special thanks to cassie, Mello, goodgirl21 and AC.**

**And lastly, I wanted to wish "Happy birthday" to Ilovereadingtoomuch. Hope this chapter has the fluff you are looking for!**

The official inauguration was finally here! The Center was bustling with activity. Christian was ushering a part of the crowd that had showed up. Some of his old classmates were helping him as well. He stopped for a moment and looked at the commotion around him. He could see silent Luke guiding some of the parents to their chairs. How funny was it that they had all thought of him as mute, while apparently he could speak! Ollie was seen chatting with Jaden and some of his other students. He was probably making sure they knew the chory well enough. Christian smiled at the scene. He could remember a time when Ollie had wanted nothing to do with Jaden. Ben seemed to be in a serious conversation with Zach whereas Grace and Abigail were giggling like schoolgirls. Ms. Raine was talking to Patrick, all the while checking and smiling at her goddaughter.

As he looked at the entrance and wondered where Tara and Kat were, his thoughts materialized. He had eyes only for Tara though. She looked beautiful and ethereal to him even garbed in a simple floral dress cinched at her waist with a belt. Her eyes seemed to be searching for someone as well as she looked around the place. As they came to rest on him, he saw her face light up. He could feel an answering smile on his own.

His feet couldn't get him to her fast enough. "Hi Beautiful!" he gushed. She reddened and he made a mental note to tell her more often how lovely she was. He memorized everything about her. About how her eyes were bright and her cheeks pink with anticipation, her lips trembling with apprehension, and a small v between her brows indicating worry. He wanted to hold her close, smooth her brows, and tell her everything was going to be ok. Before he could voice his thoughts, someone called out to him. It was Ben, pointing towards Sammy's parents and younger brother. He was showing Dr. Leiberman, his wife and Ari to their seats. Christian gave an apologetic glance towards Tara and headed over to greet them. Shortly, they were joined by all of Sammy's friends.

All too soon, it was time for the ceremony to begin. All conversation stopped as the former Academy students took their seats. Zach stepped up to the stage and announced Tara in. "Ladies and gentlemen, I am honored to welcome you to the official opening of the new Samuel Lieberman Memorial Studio. I'd like to introduce former student and Sammy's close friend Tara Webster to make the commencement speech."

Tara stepped on the dais with her hand clutching her diary as if it was her lifeline. Despite all her preparations, she still felt anxious. As she took a deep breath and looked at her friends in the audience, Kat gave her an encouraging smile. Tara looked at all the people waiting for her to speak. She realized they were all here because they loved Sammy. And they loved dancing. Her nervousness slowly left her and she smiled at the crowd as she began. "The irony is, out of all of us, Sammy is the one you want making this sort of speech. Because he truly got the bigger picture….that dance shouldn't be about chasing accolades or even perfection. It is about bringing people together. I have been thinking a lot about that since I left the academy. And in third year, we missed his Sammyesque wisdom every day."

She presented an insight into their lives as third year students at the Academy. She talked about how great a dancer and an even greater person Sammy had been, and how she had depended on him. She regaled the crowd with some funny incidents that had occurred during their first two years together there. As she talked about her injury and rehab she could see several people tearing up, including Abby and Ms. Raine.

"So even though I had decided I wouldn't feel sorry for myself, rehab wasn't a walk in the park. In fact, I'd never take a walk in the park for granted again, much less dancing. I am going to fight as hard as I can to get back to where I was. But if that doesn't happen, I don't dance professionally, I know I'll be okay. I came to the Academy to be the best ballerina I could be. What I took away was courage; to stop and wonder at a blank page, the open road; to dream big but also wide, allowing room for new dreams, unexpected ones. Because the point was never achieving the dream, it was about having one… and pouring everything into it."

In conclusion, she stated, "It's funny. I have no idea what happens next, but I am excited about finding my own way to make it count. The way Sammy did. He would have loved this space, where anyone can dream and dance… I now declare it officially open." The spectators burst into applause, and her face broke out into a wide smile. She had done it!

Soon after, the crowd dispersed onto the floor. There was chatter and laughter all around as people socialized. As Tara stood there watching them, she was approached by her former mentor. "That was very moving, Tara! Sammy would be so proud!"

"Thanks Ms. Raine!"

"So, do you have any plans for your future? Other than trying to get back into the Academy?"

"During my time in rehab, I discovered that I really enjoy writing. So, I have enrolled myself in an online course for English literature."

"It's probably tough for you, but I am glad you are thinking beyond dancing."

"There is something I need your opinion about," Tara handed over her novel to her. "It's not a book yet and, I'm pretty sure it won't get published but, it's about us…at the academy."

Meanwhile, Tara noticed Christian walk up to the center of the space and announce, "This place is about dancing. So, how about we do some?" A corner of her brain registered he appeared confident, a turnaround from when he had strained to give a speech during their graduation. He had apparently trained his students to perform a contemporary piece. But to Tara's surprise, their other friends Ollie, Ben, Grace, Abby and Kat joined Christian and his students. As she watched them twirl in the air in unison, she realized that it was not a spur of the moment thing, and that someone had carefully planned this.

She slowly leaned against one of the pillars and massaged her back. It wasn't really hurting, but was a reminder of why she wasn't dancing with her friends. She watched each of her friends in turn and realized how much they had changed over the course of almost four years. She herself wasn't that wide-eyed bambi anymore. They had all turned into mature adults. Ben's words from the day before came back to her as she saw how content Christian looked. Abigail smiled more too, now that she thought about it.

She was sad to not be able to partake in the dance, yet oddly happy at the choice of the song. The lyrics felt strangely similar to how she felt about dancing, about how she equated dancing with flying. She beamed as she saw Ben lift Grace up high and whirl around. It was hard not to feel joy at the beauty of it all!

As the others continued to dance, Christian walked over to her side. She asked him in amazement, "I can't believe…how did you all organize this?"

"This is the _Thank You_ dance. Better late than never!" Christian said. It had been his attempt to do that something special for her. He had choreographed the song, trained his students and sent a video to all the other involved to ensure there were no mess-ups. He was glad that she recognized his effort. The smile on her face made everything worth it.

"Come on," he said. "It was your idea."

Tara was alarmed. "You know that I had my first class only a month ago!"

It was now or never, Christian told himself. Taking a deep breath, he took her hands in his and said, "We'll take it slow. We'll figure it out together." As he saw her glance down at their hands, a part of him worried that she might refuse him. He willed her to understand what he was trying to convey.

Tara had heard those words before. As she looked into his eyes, she knew that this time he referred not just to dancing. She understood that he was telling her that he wanted to be with her. She was overwhelmed as she thought of how hard he must have worked, to make _her _thank you dance happen. She thought her heart was going to burst with joy! She smiled and nodded at him. Kat rushed to her side and hugged her. Tara knew then that Kat had been a part of Christian's plan all along. She wasn't mad at her friend in the least. How could she be!

Christian felt delighted at her response. He gently pulled her onto the dance floor. With his hands at her waist, he guided her to her position. Tara felt all the blood rush to her face as she was overcome with a million different emotions. She tried to cover her cheeks to calm herself down. But as she picked up on the moves of her fellow dancers, she could feel her tension draining away. She realized there was nowhere else she would rather be at that moment.

As the dance concluded, all the dancers raised their hands upwards in tribute to Sammy. They would all still miss him, but time had managed to take the edge away off their sorrow. They had all finally healed.


	11. Epilogue

**I took a long time for this one, didn't I? Sorry, but I had two different scenarios in mind. One where Tara gets into the Academy, and one where she doesn't. After going back and forth, I decided on the current one. Hopefully, you'll like this ending. Please note my little knowledge of ballet comes from watching DA, so if you read something about ballet that isn't right, my apologies in advance.**

**And thanks again for your kind words! AC, your review prompted me to finish this ASAP. So, thank you! Looking forward to hearing what your thoughts are about the ending...**

_**Epilogue**_

Tara drummed her fingers impatiently on the barre as she waited for Christian to finish up with his class. She was going to audition for a spot at the National Academy of Dance the day after. Christian had been helping her train for the past few weeks in the Center where he taught. She was really anxious for his feedback today. Even though she had been warming up at the barre for just the past hour, it had seemed like forever. At last, Christian's class was done and he walked up to her.

"Finally!" she sighed before hugging him tightly.

"If I had known I'd get such a welcome, I'd have come around much sooner," Christian joked.

"Christian!" Tara poked him playfully in the ribs before letting go.

"So, are you ready to start?"

Tara took a deep breath in. "As ready as I'll ever be."

As she practiced her moves, Christian offered her his input. As she worked on her rond de jambe, "You're rolling forward on your right foot" and later, "I think your développé can be a little higher." All too soon, it seemed to Tara, she had to leave the barre and work on the dreaded fouetté turns. She worked on it a little before frustration set in.

"You know fouetté turns freak me out. Can I just do attitude turns or something?" Tara asked Christian.

"Why don't you take a break and decide later? You've been at it for quite some time."

"You're right. I'm getting a bit tired."

Tara took a swig from her water bottle and proceeded to sit on the floor and stretch her legs. Christian sat down beside her and they both leaned against the wall. They sat in silence for a while. He then took her hand in his and said, "You don't have to do an audition this year Tara. You can wait till next year, you know, postpone till you get stronger."

"I am not getting any younger Christian," Tara said sadly. "It'll be weird enough trying to compete for a spot with fifteen and sixteen year olds. And next year, I will be a year older. I bet I will feel ancient…"

"Nineteen isn't old!" Christian protested. But he understood her insecurity. He also knew there was nothing he could say that would change her mind. So he let her rest for a few more minutes before he stood up and held out his hand to her. "Come on then, let's get going."

* * *

The moment was finally here. Tara was filled with trepidation as she held onto the letter from the Academy with shaking hands. The letter that was going to define her future! She had thought she was ready to face the result no matter what it was. After all, she had been mentally preparing for this moment for almost a year. Boy, was she wrong! She thought her heart was going to jump out of her chest as she opened the envelope. As she read the letter, tears started pouring down her face.

"Is everything ok Petal?" Kat asked with concern. "Did you get in?"

Tara just handed the letter over to Kat and walked to her bedroom in silence.

Kat read quietly. Tara had not made it to the Academy. The board had thought that even though she had nailed the artistic bit, she was weak technically. They understood that it was probably because she was still recovering from the injury to her back and suggested that if she was still keen on getting in, she should try again the next year. However, they had a proposition for her. Bearing in mind that she had been a top student of the Academy not so long ago, they would be willing to consider her for the position that had been created by Ms. Lucinda Raine leaving the company. They had not yet found a fitting replacement for her, and the temp they had hired would be unable to come back this year. Of course, she would have to go through the interview process. But she would be the top contender for the spot.

Kat walked to the bedroom to see her friend sitting on the bed staring into space. She sat down beside her and hugged her.

"Do you want to talk about this T?"

Tara just shook her head and closed her eyes. Kat didn't pressure her friend, she knew she would talk about it when the time was right.

* * *

Christian was getting ready to leave the Center when his phone rang. It was Kat.

"Is Tara with you?" Kat asked him before he could even get a hello out. He could hear the panic in her voice.

"No. Why? What happened?"

"Did you hear from her today at all?" No, it had been one of those rare days when he hadn't heard from her and when he had been too busy to call her.

"No Kat. Can you please tell me what happened?"

"She received her letter today," Kat was crying now. His heart sank then, he knew she hadn't made it to the Academy. "I tried to talking to her, but she wouldn't. And then I had to go to the studio. By the time I came back, she was gone. And she is not answering her phone… I am so worried Christian. I was hoping she had come to see you. Where could she be?"

"Have you talked to Abby yet?" Maybe she had gone over to see Abigail.

"I called her before I called you. She hasn't heard from her either."

"Let me think about this Kat. I'll get back with you soon." Christian's heart was filled with uneasiness. He called her phone several times but there was no response. Where could she have gone? He couldn't think straight. Should he wait or should he call the police? Should he call her parents? His mind was still in turmoil when Kat called him again.

"I just got a text from Tara, Christian. She says she's ok and not to worry about her. Nothing more. I texted her back, but there's been no answer."

"Thanks Kat," he could breathe a little easier now. Now that he knew she was all right. But it hurt like hell that she hadn't called him. After everything they had been through! After he had spent long hours helping her train! He headed back home with a heavy heart.

* * *

It had been a week since Tara had left town. None of her friends had still heard from her. Every day had felt like an eon to Christian. As he finished his class and headed home that evening, he was still thinking about her. She was still in his thoughts as he stepped into his apartment. And to his surprise he found her there, chatting with Ollie.

"Hi Christian!" said Ollie. "Sorry I have to take leave Tara. But you know, the Company beckons!"

Soon as he was out the door, Tara approached Christian. "Hey. Can we talk?"

"You just leave without a note, without a goodbye and expect me to talk!" Christian was furious. "You didn't even have the courtesy to call me and say where you were!"

"I'm sorry Christian. I truly am. I was in a really dark place when I heard that I hadn't made it to the Academy. I had told myself that I would be ok with it, but apparently I wasn't." Her eyes were starting to tear up and she tried to blink them away. "I'm sorry. Please, can we talk?"

Christian reluctantly walked up to the couch and sat down.

"I went down to the farm. I just needed time to come to terms with all this," she spread her hands. "I owed it to my parents to let them know what had happened. After all they had as much hope as me, if not more. I knew they would worry, so I had to convince them I'd be alright. I know it was wrong to cut myself off from you all, but I had to figure out what I wanted for myself."

"And?"

"I'd promised myself I would take a shot to get back to where I was before my surgery. I tried and I failed. I have accepted it now. So, I am going to attempt something else. I am going to try out for the teaching position at the Academy. That'll give me a chance to still be involved in ballet."

"And what about us Tara? Do you still want to be involved with me?" He wasn't angry with her anymore, well maybe a little. But what she said made sense. And he wanted to know for sure that she still wanted to be with him.

She moved closer to him. "Christian, I love you. I have never loved anyone else and I don't think I'll be able to love anyone the way I love you. It has always been you."

Then, as if he had just given up, and slowly, giving her enough time to pull away if she wanted to, Christian leaned towards her and brushed his lips against hers. It was like the floodgates opened then. They both kissed each other greedily, with all the pent up emotion of last year. Christian's hands slipped down her back to her waist. He pulled her closer, as if he couldn't bear to be any farther from her. Her hands moved to his hair and held him there, as if she too was afraid that he would pull back. She had needed this, she thought, she missed being in his arms. It somehow comforted her and pained her at the same time.

After a few minutes, or maybe just seconds they pulled apart, gasping for air. Christian rested his forehead on hers as they both tried to gather their wits about them. He was ecstatic to know Tara's feelings towards him had not changed. As if on cue, his phone rang.

"Aren't you gonna answer that?" Tara whispered.

He pulled his phone out halfheartedly. It was Raf.

"Hi Raf," he answered gruffly. "No, everything's fine. Yes, I am still good with the plans for this weekend. Ok, see you then."

"That was quick!" exclaimed Tara. "What did Raf want?"

But as soon as she asked the question, she bit her cheek. "Oops, sorry Christian. Your relationship with your dad is something we shouldn't talk about, I guess?"

Christian held her hands and said, "Tara, if we are going to make this work, there'll be no more conditions. We can't hold a part of ourselves back and expect to make this work. We shouldn't have to watch everything we say, be worrying all the time if we are saying or doing the right thing. And I expect we'll find that we don't agree about everything. We'll argue and fight, but if we want to be with each other, we'll learn to compromise."

Tara said with a huge smile, "Aren't you supposed to be uncommunicative?"

He drew her to him, silencing her with his lips. He pulled apart after a while and said, "Raf wants me to go see him this weekend. I want you to come with me. Will you?"

"I will!" She had a twinkle in her eye. "And will you come down to the farm next weekend then?"

"As your boyfriend, you mean. Hell, yes!"

"That was the right answer. And for that, I may even let you get to second base!" Christian looked at her with shock. "We do have bases our side of town, Mr. Reed!" She giggled.

Christian growled and pulled her to him. As they kissed again that night, he couldn't stop his smile. Moving forward, life may be simple and effortless with Tara, but it definitely wasn't going to be boring!


End file.
